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Sepp Blatter said a points deduction could be an alternative punishment.

FIFA President Sepp Blatter has claimed punishing fans' racist behavior by closing stadiums is "extremely dubious" and "unduly excessive," according to the PA. Blatter said that sporting sanctions such as points deductions that "cause real hurt to" clubs are a better punishment than closing part or all of a stadium for matches. But Blatter, in his column in FIFA Weekly, said that while he wants "drastic and severe" sanctions for racism, "football without a crowd is like a concert without sound."